Jessica Simpson Was Awkwardly Mistaken for Britney Spears in a Fan Encounter at the Mall This Weekend

Simpson and daughter Maxwell made light of the situation on Instagram.

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Jessica Simpson
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Okay, sure, they both emerged as pop princesses around the same time, but Britney Spears and Jessica Simpson are two very different people—but one fan couldn’t keep it straight. Simpson detailed an awkward encounter with a fan, sharing on Instagram yesterday that she was approached by an autograph seeker during an outing to the mall—but that “it was a case of mistaken identity,” People reports.

“The face when someone in the parking lot at the mall asks you for your autograph, but expects you to sign it Britney Spears,” Simpson joked alongside a photo of her and daughter Maxwell making exaggerated shocked faces for the camera.

Jessica Simpson

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Britney Spears walking down the street

(Image credit: Getty)

Per People, Spears and Simpson actually have much more in common than you might think. “It’s not all that surprising that a fan might get the two pop stars mixed up,” the outlet writes. “They both rose to fame on the music scene around the same time in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and share a few other notable things in common, including their bright blonde hair, dark brown eyes, Southern roots, and childhood stints on The Mickey Mouse Club. They also both starred in reality shows with their former significant others—Simpson in MTV’s Newlyweds with ex-husband Nick Lachey, and Spears in UPN’s Britney and Kevin: Chaotic with ex Kevin Federline.”

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Spears even gave a nod to her resemblance to Simpson in an Instagram post from last December: “Why do I look EXACTLY like Jessica Simpson ???” she wrote. “Also my face looks so pale.” The throwback photo featured Spears sucking in her cheeks, apparently making her look more like Simpson. 

Jessica Simpson

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Britney Spears

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Though Spears and Simpson—as well as Christina Aguilera, Mandy Moore, and the like—were often pitted against one another and portrayed by the media as rivals, Simpson has openly supported Spears in recent years. In March 2021, Simpson told People she admires and empathizes with Spears, especially as they had a similar “coming of age” story.

Jessica Simpson

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Britney Spears closeup in a red dress

(Image credit: Getty)

“I honestly choose not to watch the documentary,” Simpson said of the unauthorized 2021 documentary Framing Britney Spears. “I didn’t want to watch and bring back any of the dark pieces of my personal coming of age in the music business. I have worked through a lot and want to keep moving forward in my own story, on my own path.” Simpson added of Spears “I admire her ambition, strength, and the capability to live unapologetically and authentically.”

Another commonality: Simpson wrote her own memoir, Open Book, in 2020; Spears’ tell all, The Woman in Me, will be released on October 24. 

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Rachel Burchfield
Rachel Burchfield
Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor

Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.